Split Pea Soup with Ham

Ingredients

• 450 g green split peas, dry (1 lb bag) — rinsed, no soaking
• 2 L low-sodium bone broth (8 cups), chicken or beef
• 1 smoked ham hock (or a smoked turkey wing, more meat on it)
• 700 g lean ham steak (1½ lb), in ½-inch dice — goes in at the end
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 200 g onion (1 large), diced small
• 180 g carrot (3), diced small
• 120 g celery (3 stalks), diced small
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 bay leaves · 1 tsp dried thyme · ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp cider vinegar, to finish (optional) · salt only after tasting

Method

1. Prep, 10 min. Rinse the peas and pick out any stones. Dice the onion, carrot and celery small; mince the garlic. Dice the ham and set it aside.
2. Soften, 10 min. Oil in a large pot (6 qt or more) over medium heat. Onion, carrot and celery in for 8–10 min, until soft. Garlic for the last minute.
3. Simmer, 75–90 min. Peas, broth, hock, bay, thyme and pepper in. Bring to a boil and skim the foam, then down to a gentle simmer, lid ajar. Stir every 15–20 min and scrape the bottom — the peas sink and will scorch as it thickens. Done when the peas have collapsed.
4. Pull the meat, 5 min. Lift out the hock and the bay. Strip the meat, chop it; bone, skin and fat go in the bin.
5. Texture. Whisk hard for rustic, or a few pulses of an immersion blender for smooth.
6. Finish, 10 min. Diced ham and the pulled meat back in; simmer 10 min. Thin with water if too thick. Taste before any salt — the ham usually covers it. Vinegar off the heat, if using.
7. Portion into six. It sets almost solid overnight — add a good splash of water and stir as it warms. Keeps 4–5 days; freezes well.